Shipping cartons



1958 T. w. POWELL 2,824,682

SHIPPING CARTONS Filed Aug. 5, 1955 Z/ I, 'PJZ/ INVENTOR Truam P010622 ATTORNEYS United States Patent SHIPPING CARTONS Truman W. Powell, Atlanta, Ga.

Application August 5, 1955, Serial No. 526,656

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-37) The present invention provides improvements in boxes or cartons constructed of cardboard or similar material wherein greatly enhanced structural strength and rigidity which enhanced strength is found to be of definite advantage in the shipment of heavy or bulky articles such as large and heavily-packed cans, by way of example, which customarily are packed. in cardboard-type of containers or cartons.

The present invention also provides improvements in the construction of such cartons which enables fabrication thereof from a one-piece blank, except for end reinforcements as will be pointed out in greater particularity hereinafter, all portions of the blank being readily foldable outwardly with respect to each other into a flat position for convenience in shipping and storing.

More especially, the improvements embodied in the improved box or carton of the present invention comprise novel and simple reinforcements for one, or opposite, end walls which provide high structural strength and rigidity, which is found to be notably resistant against bursting or breakage under normally destructive impacts and rough handling to which such boxes frequently become subjected while being transported or handled particularly when the boxes are packed with heavy commodities.

Further objects of the improved construction will become apparent as the description proceeds, and the features of novelty will be pointed out in particularity in the appended claims.

The improvements of the present invention will be understood more readily from the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of various modifications exemplary embodiments of the improved construction. In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is a plan view of a blank or pattern of the improved box in flatly expanded position in condition for folding into the improved structurally reinforced box or carton;

Fig. 2 is an assembled perspective view with the top partly opened of a preferred embodiment of a carton including the improvements of the present invention, the carton of this view being produced by folding the pattern of Fig. 1; V

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of box or carton provided with an end structure embodying the present improvements, the modification illustrated in this view having an opposite conventional end, the view showing the modified box or carton in partially folded position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, which, as has been indicated above, show two embodiments of the improvements of the present invention, there is shown in Fig. 1, a substantially one-piece blank or pattern suitable for the production of the preferred form of carton construction shown in Fig. 2, of which the side walls of the completed carton comprise rigid sections indicated successively at 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, such sections being defined between transversely extending equallyspaced fold lines along which the pattern A is folded transversely into the completed cartons, such fold lines being indicated by the dotted lines 5, 6, and 7. In Fig. 1, for descriptive reference, the end section 4 of the blank or pattern A may be designated as the terminal section and is shown as having a free end tab section 8, corresponding opposite corners of which are beveled as is indicated at 9, this end tab section 8 being foldable with respect to the terminal section 4 along fold line 10.

It will be understood that the pattern or blank A is composed of any suitable substantially rigid stock material of a weight and thickness determined by conditions of service and shipping, such as, for example, a rigid and heavy cardboard stock. While the sections of-theblank are shown as being equal in size for producing a substantially cubical carton, this is a non-critical circumstance, as is also the fact that the blank or pattern A may be scored along the fold lines for facilitating the folding operations.

The terminal section 4 of the pattern A is shown as being extended laterally at its opposite sides into oppositely-extending similar rigid wing members 11 and 11 which are integral with the pattern A and which are foldable with respect to the terminal section 4 of the pattern A along the fold lines 12 and 13, the previouslymentioned fold lines 7 and 10 being extended completely across these oppositely projecting wing members 11 and 11, defining side sections 14 adjacent to opposite side edges of the said wing members. Also, a fold line 15 is extended transversely across the wing members defining end sections 16 of these wing members, the width of these end sections 16 being the same as that of the side sections 14. The wing members 11 and 11 are reinforced by reinforcing layers 17 which overlie corresponding portions of the wing members along opposite lateral, edges thereof, and are secured to the said corresponding portions of the wing members in a convenient manner,

such as by means of staples or by application of an, The layers 17 pro-' adhesive such as glue for example. vide the side sections 14 foldable on lines 7 and 10.

In the finished box or carton, the oppositely extending wing sections 11 and 11' form rigid opposite end closures, respectively, the side sections 14 defining upstanding lat eral flanges by folding along the extensions of fold lines 7 and 10, and the end sections 16 defining upstanding end flanges by folding these end sections upwardly along each fold line 15, as viewed in Fig. 1. For enabling such folding to be accomplished, terminal section 4 has opposite slots 18 of a depth equal to the width of the side sections 14, and the end tab section 8 is slotted in like fashion as is indicated at 19, the oppositely extending sections 11 and 11' being wider than terminal section 4 in an amount represented by the side sections 14, and is longer than the said side section 3 by an amount represented by the end sections 16. For enabling the upward folding of these end sections 16, lateral V-shaped slots 20 are provided which extend inwardly from oppo site side edges of the side sections 14 to the extensions of the fold lines 7 and 10, and in conjunction therewith form corner tabs 21 of the end sections 16. Numerals j such as by staples or suitable adhesive, not shown, the end section 8 thereby forming an attaching tab which also reinforces the side 1 by providing an additional thickness of the material composing the carton. Also, by folding the side sections 14 upwardly and also the end sections 16 to form upstanding flanges, and also folding the oppositely extending wing sections 11 and 11 to form opposite end closures, these flanges will become nested snugly between the top and bottom ends of the side walls, thereby providing reinforced rigidity for the side walls when such flanges are attached to their contiguous inner surfaces and ends of the side Walls. Such attachment may be effected by stapling together such contiguous elements or by gluing or connecting them in any other suitable manner after the carton has been filled by the commodity being shipped or stored in the carton. When so positioned the opposite end members 11 and 11 are perpendicular to the sides and rigidly brace the latter. The top and bottom end sections 11 and 11 additionally are reinforced by the provision of the reinforcing layers or panels 17 which are attached suitably to the top and bottom sections of the carton, such being on the outside of these respective sections, and are the only non-unitary elements of the entire assembly. Corner reinforcements for the top and bottom sections are provided by the tab elements 21 which are folded inwardly against the upstanding lateral flanges 14 and are secured thereto in any suitable manner.

In the modified form of carton shown in Fig. 3, one of the end closures that is, either the top or bottom, is constructed identically as described above, while the opposite end closure is formed in a conventional manner by suitably overlapping the flat end panels or sections 24 and 25 and securing them together, the side wall panel sections being secured to the upstanding lateral flanges 14 of the end section as has been described above.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention provides a shipping carton or box which is simple in construction and which includes mutually reinforcing edge and corner portions which are most subject to deformation and breakage under rough and rugged service conditions during shipping and handling, the resulting structure being highly resistant to breakage and bursting. It will be apparent, however, that structural details of the assembly may be subject to modifications determinable by service conditions as may become suggested to one skilled in the packaging and shipping art; and, accordingly, it will be understood that it is intended and desired to embrace within the scope of the invention, such modifications and changes as may be necessary or desirable to adapt it to varying conditions and uses, as defined by the following appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I desire pro tected by Letters Patent is as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A substantially unitary carton-type box comprising a one-piece blank of rigid material including a plurality of aligned sections having opposite parallel sides and defined by substantially equally spaced parallel fold lines along which the sections are to be folded successively towards one another to form the side walls of the box, the aligned sections terminating in a terminal section of the blank having a free end provided with a terminal flange defined by a fold line making the terminal section substantially equal in area with the remaining aligned sections, closure-defining wing sections extending laterally from the terminal section and integral therewith, each of the laterally extending wing sections being defined with respect to the terminal section by a fold line inset relative to the parallel sides of the aligned sections, the laterally extending wing sections being top and bottom closures for the box when folded along the in-set fold lines and within the side walls of the box a distance from outer margins thereof corresponding to amount of inset of the fold lines, flat reinforcing panel members secured to outer surfaces of the Wing sections provided with the lateral parallel fold lines flush with the sides of the wing sections, the fold lines defining upwardly extending lateral flanges for the wing sections engageable with the outer marginal portions of the side walls for reinforcement thereof, and terminal fold lines on the wing sections extending transversely across the laterally extending sections adjacent to outer ends thereof defining end flanges for the wing sections when folded into upright positions with respect to the side-wall sections of the box for reinforcing the side-wall thereof opposite to that defined by the terminal aligned section, the said terminal section being provided with parallel slits extending inwardly from parallel sides of the Wing sections and additional slits along the terminal fold lines of the wing section, the firstmentioned parallel slits enabling the wing sections to be folded into closing position with respect to the side walls of the box, the additional slits defining reinforcing tabs for the lateral flanges for the wing closure sections of the box.

2. A carton-type box comprising a body formed of a one-piece blank folded to constitute the side walls of a carton, oppositely directed sections hingedly connected by parallel hinge folds to a terminal side wall section of the blank and forming, when folded, top and bottom sections of the carton, the top and bottom sections being nested within the side walls of the carton, a flange extending from the terminal end section adjacent to the top and bottom elements and adapted to be folded flatly against the opposite terminal side wall section, an adjacent intermediate section and the top and bottom sections, the said flange is rigidly united with said terminal wall section, flat reinforcing elements flatly secured to outer surfaces of the top and bottom sections and having lateral extending portions forming lateral flanges for the said sections when folded inwardly to substantially upright position with respect to the opposite sides of the top and bottom sections, and end flanges for the top and bottom sections integral therewith for reinforcing the side walls of the carton opposite to the hinge folds between the terminal side wall section and the top and bottom sections of the carton, the end flanges having slits extending into the top and bottom sections forming end tabs on the flanges inwardly foldable against the said lateral flanges for reinforcing corresponding ends of the said lateral flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,228,063 Scudder May 29, 1917 1,343,193 Buswell June 15, 1920 1,745,101 Labombarde Jan. 28, 1930 2,469,497 Conway May 10, 1949 

